코로나19 109명 확진... 확연한 감소세, 두자릿수 본 수도권
Our top story this afternoon.
People in Seoul and its surrounding areas are back to a semblance of normality on this first day of the work week.
Buoyed by a sharp downturn in the number of new COVID-19 cases, the social distancing measures were eased from midnight.
Kim Yeon-seung starts us off.
South Korea on Monday confirmed an additional 109 cases of COVID-19.
Of them, 98 are local infections and most were concentrated in the capital region.
Even though the number of confirmed cases remains above 100, officials and the public are happy to see a clear downward trend in terms of new infections.
Monday's new cases were down by twelve compared to Sunday.
Also, for two straight days, the capital region only saw double-digit increases.
However, health officials are staying on their toes.
With the eased level two social distancing measures taking effect and the Korean thanksgiving holiday of Chuseok a couple of weeks away, concerns linger over a possible fresh wave of infections as it's a time when millions of Koreans typically travel throughout the country.
As a result, special virus prevention measures will be put in place prior to the start of the holiday.
Level two distancing measures will be in effect for two weeks until September 27th. Also, we will classify the Chuseok holiday starting from September 28th to October 11th as a 'special quarantine period' and strengthen prevention measures.
Under the eased rules, customers can now eat and drink inside cafes,... and in restaurants even after 9 PM as long as they strictly adhere to the virus prevention rules,... such as contact tracing, social distancing measures and mask-wearing.
PC rooms, that had been classified as high-risk facilities, can also now reopen under the eased level 2 distancing measures.
On Monday, five more people in South Korea died from COVID-19.
The commissioner of Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Jeong Eun-kyeong, said she aims to have a domestically-produced vaccine ready by next year.
Kim Yeon-seung, Arirang News.